Vehicle-spring cowstkuction



W. H. HILL. VEHICLE SPRING CONSTRUCTION.'

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 2B, 1920.

Reissued Apr. 4,1922.

7 l. M 3a.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM H. HILL, F CANTON, OHIO.

VEHICLE-SPRING CDNS'IEUCTION.

Original No. 1,334,70, dated March 23, 1920, Serial o. 328,221, filed Uetober 3, 1919.

reissue filed October 28, 1920. Serial Np. 420,283.

To alli/whom t may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. HILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Canton, Ohio, have invent-ed certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Spring Construction, of which the following is a clear, full, and exact description.

This invention relates to vehicle springs and has for its general object to. provide a vehicle spring construction which will furnish a more effective cushion than known springs for the shocks and jars. to which a vehicle is subjected in traveling, which will not require bearings or means for lubricating bearings, 4which can be. connected to the vehicle in a simple manner and which will not require as much attention at the points of connection as known springs.

Other objects and important features of the invention will appear from the following description and claims when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in Which- 4igurc 1 is a side elevation partly in section, showing a spring' embodying the invention and so much of the associated body7 and chassis of the vehicle as are necessary to illustrate the use of the spring;

Fig. 2 is a detail view of one of the spring supports;

Fig 3 is a detail view of one 'of the spring clamps; and

Fig. 4 is a bottom planview of the spi-mg clamp.

As shown in thedrawings the main part of the spring, in which the invention is embodied, is of the semi-elliptic 'leaf spring type, the illustrated spring being shown as having its concave face and its longest leaf 2 on the upper side. Instead of being connected to a spring shackle or other spring bearing by means of a. loop or an eye formed in the uppermost spring leaf, the spring of the present invention has the uppermost leaf 2 extended and curved at its ends to form spirals 4 which are shown as reversely curved so that thejr encircle the clamps 6 in which the ends 8 of the leaf and of the spirals are held, each of the spirals pref- Specification of Reissned Letters Patent.

Reissued Apr. 4, 1922.

Application for 4 may pass through between two sides 'of the support and above the clamp 6 and then around below the clamp 6 to the inner side of the clamp and support l0, the supports 1Q being connected to the body l2 of the vehicle 1n any suitable manner 'and the intermediate semi-elliptic part of the spring beingA connected to the axle 14 "of the vehicle by any suitable and well-known spring clamp 16.

To facilitate the clamping of the ends l8 of the spring leaf 2 andof the spirals 4 in the supports 10, the supports 10 and clamp o are preferably of the special construction illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. From an inspection of these figures it will be shown that each side of the support 10 has a downwardly extending part 18 adapted to t into a recess 20 in the side of each of the springclamp members 22, 24, and has upon cach side of this extension a flange 26 to receive the clamping bolts which pass through the clamp members and said flanges. The upper-clamp member 2O preferably has a shoulder 28 to insure its proper centering between the legs of the spring support, and each, of the clamp members preferably also has achannel 30 to receive the end 8 of the spring leaf 2, each channel being shallow enough so that the two channels do no t equal the thickness ofthe spring.

.From the foregoing description, the operation and utility of the novel spring construction will be apparent. When the semielliptic `intermediate portion of the spring is iiexed so that the spring tends to straighten. the outward movement vof the ends ofthis intermediate portion will canse an unwinding actionV Vof the spirals 4 without any tendency to disturb the connection of the end 8 of the spiral with the spring support 10. Sudden sharp shocks or jolts will be taken up in the spirals 4 without perceptible bending of the intermediate semi-elliptic part of the spring, the extension of the spirals 4 both. above and'below the clamps 6 providing ample space and flexibility for this shock absorbing action.

What I claim as new is:

1. A vehicle spring having its ends rigidly held and comprising a semi-elliptic intermediate portion between the end portions thereof, and a reversely curved spiral connected as a unit with and forming an extension of said intermediate portion and lo* cated between the intermediate portion and each end.

2. A vehicle spring of the leaf spring type having4 one leaf rigidly held at its ends and comprising a semi-elliptic intermediate por tion between the end portions thereof, and a reversely curved spiral connected as a unit with and forming an extension of said intermediate portionand located between said intermediate portion and each end.

In a vehicie spring construction, the combination with ixedly spaced spring supports, of a spring of the leaf spring type havingl one leaf rigidly connected at its respective ends to said spring supports and comprising an intermediate semi-elliptic portion and a spiral. connected as a unit with and forming an extension of said intermediate portion and located between said intermediate portion and each connected end, said spiral eX- tending to the inner side'of the associated spring support and encircling the point on connection.

t. A vehicle spring having at least one end rigidly held and comprising an intermediate portion constructed with substantially the curvature of an arc of an ellipse and a revcrsely curved spiral connected as a unit with and forming an extension of said intermediate portion and located between the inter-mediate portion and the said rigidly hel end.

A vehicle spring construction having, in combination, a spring having an inten mediate portion constructed with a curvature in one direction and a spiral curved in the reverse direction connected as a unit with and iforming an extension of said intermediate portion, a member supporting the spring, a member supported by the spring, and means for securing Vthe spiral rigidly to one of said members.

6. A vehicle siziring construction having, in combination, a spring having an intermediete portion constructed with a curvature in one direction, a reversely curved spiral connected as unit with and forming an extension of saidy intermediate portion, a member supporting' the spring, a member supported by the spring, and means for connecting one of said members With the inner end of the spiral portion of th'e spring so that the weight of the vehicle and load is supported at said inner end of the spiral portion oi. the spring, comprising devices for holding the spiral portion of the spring from turning at its point of connection with said means` 7, A vehicle spring construction having, in combination, a spring having an intermediate portion constructed with a curvature in one direction and a reversely curved spiral connected as a unit with and forming,

an extension of said intermediate portion, a member supported by the spring, a member supportingr the spring, means for rigidly connecting the intermediate portion ofgtlie spring to one of said'members, and means for rigidly connecting the inner end of said spiral to the other of said members.

8. A vehicle spring construction having, in combination, a spring having an intermediate portion made up of a plurality of leaves and constructed with a curvature as a whole in one direction one of which leaves is formed into a spiral at one end curved in a direction reverse to that of the intermediate portion of the spring, a member supporting thespring, a member supported by the spring, and means for securing the spiral rigidly to one of said members.

9. A vehicle spring construction having` in combination, a spring having an intermediate portion made up of a plurality of leaves and constructed with a curvature as a Whole, said springcomprising a leaf extending` from one end to the other of the spring and formed into spirals at its ends cin-ved in a direction reverse to that of the interi'ncdiate portion of the spring, a member suijiporting the spring, a member supported by the spring, and means for secur ing the spirals rigidly to one ot said members,l

Siened at Canton, Ohio, this 23rd day of ctober, 1920.

'WILLIAM H. 'llILla 

